


it's not quite london, or the south of france

by sk4di



Series: finding family [2]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Previously posted on ff.net, just something I wrote because writing beca is therapeutic and I hardly get the chance to, revisited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:00:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22297447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sk4di/pseuds/sk4di
Summary: Beca goes home.
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Aubrey Posen
Series: finding family [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604983
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	it's not quite london, or the south of france

“Don’t you have people to do that for you now?” Aubrey asked as Beca approached her in the airport.

Beca did not ask for that. She knew Aubrey was a busy person. She had two daughters, a job and a child-woman as wife. Beca was sure Aubrey had also a lot of work put into looking so damn fine every single day – she looked ready to appear on Forbes cover every single time Beca saw her. She also lived in New York, so she was sure Aubrey took a cab to the airport only to take another cab to take her home, no way she got there driving.

But Aubrey offered, and she could use a friendly company.

“I do, but we’re family, so this is your job,” she says, hugging her friend.

Oh, if you don’t know yet, have in mind that Aubrey was taller. Beca felt like she was hugging a guardian or something like that. She felt, protected, shielded, she felt cared for - and it was just a hug. It felt nice. She scolded herself for being so needy, but also blamed the actual circumstances of her life.

“Sure,” Aubrey said. “Where are the paparazzi, anyway?” She looked around.

“Dude, don’t say their name. They can smell the fear,” Beca said, looking truly scared. “I’m having a terrible week, I don’t need their shit today.” She put on her sunglasses even though the sun was almost done with that day.

“Alright, alright,” the taller woman said, opening the cab door for her friend. “You’ll have a few days off, you’ll be able to rest.”

“Ugh, can’t wait to lay down on your couch,” Beca said, rubbing her temples.

In which moment, exactly, a couch in New York became the place she longed the most to be? Probably somewhere between breaking up with her long-term boyfriend and becoming a popstar. Plane seats and talk shows sofas were so uncomfortable and hotel bedrooms were never her favorite thing. Aubrey and Chloe’s living room’s couch, though? Heaven.

“You’ll be fine,” Aubrey told her, wrapping an arm around her friend on the backseat.

Beca whined and rested her head on her friend’s shoulder whining like a baby.

* * *

“Surprise!” Chloe and the kids yelled as they entered the appartment.

Beca blinked a few times, looking around the place. There was a cake, happy birthday letters hanging on the wall, party hats and a few wrapped gifts on the coffee table.

It was a birthday surprise. And she had forgotten. She forgot someone’s birthday. That was awful. You don’t forget your family’s birthdays. She should really consider getting a personal assistant as, literally, everyone suggested her, but she brushed aside because she didn’t need any help with looking like a dick. (Only dicks have PAs, right?)

But wait, Chloe was there, and so was the smaller redhead, Emma, carrying that weird thing she insisted on calling a domestic cat, and also was there Coco, the youngest Beale in her mother’s arms. Then, the surprise could only be…

“Oh, God,” she mumbled and turned to Aubrey, that was right behind her. “It’s your birthday? I fucking forgot it. Oh God, Aubrey, I’m so so sorry! I’ll make it up to you-“

Aubrey frowned. “Wait, what? It’s not my birthday, you moron,” she exchanged a look with Chloe and looked back at Beca. “It’s your birthday.”

Beca shot a confused glance to Chloe, that seemed almost amused, then to Emma, that for sure was laughing in her face, then back to Aubrey, that looked almost concerned.

“It’s not my birthday.” Beca said, snorting.

“Yes, it is,” Emma said, chuckling.

“No, it’s not. There’s no way it’s my birthday,” she retorted, taking her phone from her pocket and checking the date. She got silent for two seconds. “Okay, forget it, it is my birthday.”

That explained why the fan messages - that she rarely checked - were especially intense that day. And why her father called - and she didn’t answer. And why Jesse texted – and she for sure she didn’t even read.

How messed up your mind had to be to you forget your own birthday? The brunette sighed loudly and Aubrey kind of felt her tiredness.

She laid her hand on her shoulder, a motherly gesture, and brought Beca to her, hugging her friend, surprised when the smaller woman just sunk into her. She exchanged a worried look with her wife over Beca's head.

“Beca?” The redhead called.

Beca lifted her head from Aubrey’s chest and smiled tiredly at her friend. Well, life was complicated. “Hi,” she said and made an effort to give them a better smile. “Shall we eat the cake?”

* * *

Coco, the adorable, blonde, small thing, Chloe and Aubrey had been calling by daughter for thirteen months now, was absolutely fond of Beca, so she showed no interest in leaving her aunt’s lap as they sat on the floor around the coffee table, going through the gifts and food they had prepared for her birthday.

“You are so big, please stop growing. My heart cannot handle,” Beca told the baby in a ridiculous voice.

Aubrey smirked and thought: how would America feel if they saw their badass popstar like that?

“She’s still not talking?” Beca asked as she served the baby a spoon with cake.

“She mumbles a lot,” Emma said. “We have deep conversations through mumbling.”

The redhead made a few unintelligible noises, and for Beca’s surprise, the baby replied with equally eloquence.

“So yeah, not talking yet,” Chloe said.

They also listened to the playlist Emma made for Beca, that made her heart warm and her arms to hug her niece very tightly. Chloe shared a few stories of her day and Beca forgot that there was a real world outside that home with family pictures in the walls - she had never really paid attention before, but, the fuck, those nerds have a picture of her with her BBMA there - and scattered toys on the floor.

They spent at least twenty minutes trying to get a perfect photo of all of them, with someone setting the timer on the phone and running back to the sofa. Emma showed Beca how she was learning to play the ukulele and it ended up on Beca’s rarely updated Instagram - _Thank you all for all the birthday wishes. I’m having the absolute best day and here’s the proof_. She was never a fan of the whole birthday thing, but that was nice.

Sleep won over Emma, who was tucked against Aubrey’s side by the sofa, and their conversation was getting to a point Beca knew she couldn’t avoid.

“How are things, Beca?” Chloe asked, sipping her tea.

Beca sighed sitting by the floor with baby Coco in her arms. She rested her back against the sofa.

She knew she shouldn’t shut her friends out. She should talk about her feelings, let Chloe be dramatic and hug and kiss her, let Aubrey say they were there for her always and, you know, let them make her feel better. They already knew everything that was happening, though. They just were making sure things didn’t get even worse after the last time they talked.

“I’m okay,” Beca said, her attention on the baby.

“Really, Beca?” Aubrey raised an eyebrow.

Beca sighed. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, you know. I don’t think I should go out complaining about my life. I have everything, right? A dream job, and…you know, everything.”

“Beca, just because you are doing great professionally it doesn’t mean you can’t have hard feelings, or that you can’t think you job isn’t hard,” Chloe reasoned.

Beca scrunched up her nose. First, they really have to say her name every time they talk to her? She felt like Bobby in Company. Second, were things really going that bad?

It’s not like she lost a lot with Jesse. It was not like they were going to build a family together anytime soon. Or it’s not like they ended up in a terrible way; they were very mature with each other, actually. She for sure lost her base, her home, a safe place, but she felt like that wasn’t really bothering her. Honestly, she felt like she was very very close to being completely over it. She was healing just fine.

And her job? Well, it could for sure be worse. She hated flying around all the time or being alone all the time, but it was good, it was okay. There’s not a lot to complain when you meet Beyoncé and has those numbers on your bank account.

“Honestly, I wasn’t okay,” Beca said, very sincere after a while. “But I am now. I am here.” And it was true.

Chloe smiled fondly at her and Coco slurred some incomprehensible words.

“Really, guys, I had a great time. I have no words to thank you for being so great to me. You guys are my family.” Beca said, because, apparently, she couldn’t stop talking. “It’s like being home.”

“You’re home, Beca,” Aubrey said back.

She looked at her blonde friend. And then at Chloe, that had tears glistening in her eyes.

“You know you are always welcome, right? We’re five in this house,” Chloe said and Beca rolled her eyes, pretending she wasn’t about to burst out with love and affection. “Six if you count Fleur.”

Beca looked at the cat laying on the reading nook by the window. Fleur stared back making a chill run down her spine. She looked back at her friends.

How can someone be so lucky? She wondered. Dream job and a beautiful loving found family, life can’t possibly get any better than that. Maybe it will when she finally win that Grammy but-

“Becaw.”

The three women shot their heads in direction of the voice. Coco looked up at them, innocently as if she hadn’t just said her first words.

“Oh God. She said my name?” Beca said, amazed.

“No, no way.” Aubrey shook her head. “Shouldn’t her first words be mommy? I mean, she has two of them.”

Chloe was giggling and picked up the baby, trying to make her talk again but she was back at the mumbling.

“Wow, your baby’s first word was my name, Posen.” Beca smirked at Aubrey. “I’m so powerful.”

“That’s probably because we’ve been saying your name all night,” Chloe said, kissing Coco, on the cheeks and making her giggle.

“Well, it’s my birthday, so it’s fair, you know.” She smiled genuinely, so differently from the smile she gave them as she entered the apartment. “Happy birthday to me.”

The couple smiled back at her and Beca could say for sure now: she was going to be okay.

Aubrey smiled while running her hands through Emma’s sleepy head. “Happy birthday, Beca.”

“Happy birthday, Beca.” Chloe said. “We love you.”

Beca’s cheeks were hurting from smiling. “I love you too, awesome nerds.” There was a pause. “I should really get a PA, though, right?”


End file.
